Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to Replace Merkel as CDU Chair

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to Replace Merkel as CDU Chair

Germany's Christian Democratic Union elected Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to replace German Chancellor Angela Merkel as party leader.

Kramp-Karrenbauer won 517 of the 999 votes Friday, just 35 more votes than her opponent Friedrich Merz, a wealthy lawyer.

The election came weeks after Merkel announced she wouldn't run for re-election as party leader.

She's been chair of the Christian Democratic Union for 18 years.

Kramp-Karrenbauer joined the party in 1981 and served as prime minister of the state of Saarland.

Some have called her Merkel's protégé , Merkel 2.0 and even "mini-Merkel." Her win as party leader leaves the door open for her to run for German chancellor in the future. Merkel has said she will continue to serve as chancellor until the end of her term in 2021.

According to Reuters, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the new leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, sought to bind the party together after a divisive leadership battle by promoting a..